Critical Thinker Academy: Learn to Think Like a Philosopher
What you'll learn
- fundamental concepts of critical thinking (logic, argument analysis, rhetoric, reasoning with probabilities, the importance of background knowledge, etc.)
- the importance of critical thinking for personal development, participation in democratic society, and the pursuit of wisdom
- the role that critical thinking principles play in good essay writing
- how cognitive biases make us prone to errors in how we form beliefs and make judgments
- how our tribal psychology and political polarization affect our ability to think critically
- how debates in science often turn on the meanings of key terms, like "theory", "fact", "hypothesis" and "law"
- and much more!
Requirements
- An interest in improving one's critical thinking skills. That's it!
Description
For long-term success in school, business and life, learning HOW to think is far more important than learning WHAT to think.
Yet rather than serve as the core of any education worthy of a rational human being, we have relegated the teaching of logic, argument analysis and critical reasoning to specialty courses in universities that reach too few students, too late in their education.
In this course I share my growing understanding of these topics, with a focus on what is practically important and useful for developing as independent critical thinkers.
Currently the course contains over 200 videos totalling over 19 hours of viewing time!
Among the topics you will learn:
why critical thinking is important
the difference between logic and argumentation
what makes an argument good or bad
the importance of background knowledge for critical thinking
techniques of argument analysis and reconstruction
what our growing understanding of the human mind tells us about how we actually form beliefs and make decisions
how tribalism and political polarization affect our ability to think critically
how scientific debates often turn on the meanings of key terms, like "theory", "law", and "hypothesis"
how to reason about chance and uncertainty
how to write a good argumentative essay
how to cite sources and avoid plagiarism in your writing
and much more! This content is drawn from a variety of teaching resources I've developed over the past few years, including a video podcast.
It's important for you to know that I am continuing to add videos and course modules on a regular basis. This course will continue to grow and grow -- I have a LOT OF GROUND that I want to cover! This is ONLY THE BEGINNING!
Who this course is for:
- anyone who thinks that critical thinking is important and would like to learn more about it
- anyone who is required to think and write argumentatively
- anyone interested in the psychology of belief, judgment and persuasion
- anyone interested in philosophy and who would like to learn more about philosophical ideas and methods
- anyone taking a logic or philosophy class who would like to brush up on their basic logic and argumentation skills
- anyone interested in scientific debates, or the philosophy of science
- anyone interested in tribalism and contemporary politics
Featured review
Instructor
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 36,054 Reviews
- 149,239 Students
- 4 Courses
I'm a philosopher of science by training, and I've taught philosophy and critical thinking at the university level for twenty years.
From 2009-2013 I was Chair of the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Iowa State University.
In 2015 I left my tenured academic job to pursue a career as an independent online educator. I produce video tutorial courses on topics in science, philosophy, critical thinking and communication skills.
I also do consulting and coaching, and run a membership community dedicated to improving our "Argument Ninja" skills!